What are the advantages of a patch panel at home?

Question

I am installing a patch panel and a switch at home. I have been reading about patch panels and I honestly can't see a good enough reason to go to the trouble.

Yes it makes wiring a bit neater and easier to label but surely those can't be good enough reason to have a patch panel?

I've heard people mention that it future proofs the network but I don't see how. Can someone help to explain either a reason other than neater cabling with labeling? How does it future proof the network?

Answer 1

There are several reasons a quality installation uses patch panels (and wall outlets, which are mini-patch panels on the user-equipment end of the cable run).

Patch Panels Prevent Riser Cable Fractures

It's common to use network cable with solid conductors for permanent in wall installations. Such riser cable is easy to work with and quite a bit less expensive than other options. However, these solid conductors have a thickness of 22 or 24 AWG, making them intolerant to more than a little repeated bending or other forms of manipulation.

In other words, the very things that normally happen to a network cable plugged into an end device will cause riser cable to develop tiny fractures in the conductors. This will lead to a variety of connectivity problems as the conductors oscillate between making contact then losing it. Due to the fact the damage doesn't necessarily result in a complete break of the conductor, these problems are intermittent, and thus frustrating to correctly identify and resolve.

A patch panel eliminates this issue by permitting the systems administrator to use a patch cable between the panel and end equipment. Patch cables are made from stranded conductors, which is extremely resistant to problems caused by repeated movement of the cable.

Patch Panels Simplify Repairs

Suppose you have a cable run directly between devices A and B running through a wall. No patch panel, no wall outlets. If the cable gets damaged, you must either:

1. Re-run the entire cable
2. Cut off part of the cable and replace the RJ-45 plug.

Option 1 is inefficient, and option 2 requires proper equipment and know-how. Further, you'll eventually run out of cable slack (i.e. "service loop") and be forced to replace the entire cable.

With a patch panel/wall outlet all that is required to resolve damage to these exposed (and therefore damage-prone) portions of your cable infrastructure is to replace the patch cable. This can even be done by the end-user and is much faster and less expensive than having to repair a continuous cable run.

Future Proofing?

How does it future proof the network?

"Future proofing" might be a bit strong. It would be more accurate to say a patch panel makes your installation more flexible. For example, if you run cable directly from points 1, 2, and 3 to central location A, you can't easily come back later and make a direct connection between points 2 and 3. However with a patch panel you can connect a patch cable to ports 2 and 3, creating that direct link.

Scenarios like this may be hard to imagine being useful, but the day one comes along you'll pat yourself on the back for solving the several problems I identified above and for having the bonus flexibly to do something you had no idea you'd want to do later. It's a win-win.